Staff Spotlight: 20 Questions in 60 Seconds with Hassan Raja

20 Questions in 60 Seconds is our blog series in which we interview Communities In Schools staff members. This week's guest is Hassan Raja, Cloud Network Engineer at the Communities In Schools National office.

1. What three traits define you?
Confident, honest and focused.

2. What is your personal philosophy?
Learn from your success and failure, observe and listen.

4. What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far?
A speech delay with my son and getting my handicaped mother here to the States so that I can take care of her.

5. What is the one thing you cannot resist? (food/dessert/candy/etc.)
A good medium-well steak.

6. What is your greatest fear?
I'm afraid of heights and the open ocean.

7. Where is your favorite place to be?
Scotland.

8. What is your favorite thing to do?
To be with my son and play or watch Cricket.

9. Who is your biggest inspiration?
My father because he taught me that you can't be a real man if you don't look out for your family.

10. What does true leadership mean to you?
The nerve to survive the storm/disappointment and to face each new day with the score sheet wiped clean; neither dwelling on one's successes, nor accepting discouragement from one's failures.

11. Which one would you want most - flying cars, robot housekeepers or moon cities?
Flying cars, I hate commutes.

12. What has been the most important innovation you have witnessed in your lifetime?
Internet.

13. What would you do (for a career) if you weren't doing this?
Chef or in the Armed Forces.

14. You're hosting a dinner party. Who are the 3 people, living or dead, who you would invite and why?
Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi with President Obama to sort out the Kashmir dispute.

15. What would you serve?
Vegetables for Gandhi and barbecue for Jinnah and Obama.

16. Do you have any pets? What kind?
I would love to have a Papi dog but my wife won't allow that, she's allergic. :(

17. If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
President of the United States.

18. What advice do you have for kids who are struggling in school?
"A failure is not always a mistake. It may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying," - B.F. Skinner.

19. What are your three most overused words/phrases?
No problem. Got it. Will take care of it.

20. What is your favorite thing about working at Communities In Schools?
The mission and colleagues that I work with.